Trial in Ceuta over 300 Rivotril tablets and 1,425 euros: prosecutors seek three years imprisonment
A man appeared before the Ceuta Court of First Instance accused of drug trafficking after being detained with 300 Rivotril tablets and 1,425 euros in cash.
Defendant in Ceuta after being intercepted with tranquillisers and cash
A man identified as M.M.L. appeared in the dock on Thursday before the Criminal Division of the Ceuta Court of First Instance, according to elpueblodeceuta.es. The accused has been held in provisional detention since his arrest, when officers found 300 Rivotril tablets and 1,425 euros in cash on him. The Public Prosecution Service is seeking a minimum of three years' imprisonment on an alleged charge of a crime against public health. The trial was adjourned pending judgment on the morning of 4 June, following testimony from expert witnesses and police officers.
The facts: a routine motorcycle stop
The events date back to 3 December 2025, when two National Police officers stopped the accused whilst he was riding a motorcycle. According to both officers' testimony at trial, the man's "nervous" and "evasive" demeanour led them to inspect the vehicle's storage box.
Beneath the seat they found a bag containing several Rivotril boxes, some empty and others with two-milligramme tablets distributed in blister packs, as well as some loose tablets. Following his arrest, once at the police station, officers discovered the accused was carrying 1,425 euros in cash in his jacket lapel, divided among numerous banknotes of up to 20 euros.
"They just gave it to me": the detainee's account
At the moment of the search, the arrested man made a comment to the effect that he had been "set up" because they had just handed him the merchandise. A cleaning worker who was nearby corroborated that account to officers.
Prosecution and defence: opposing positions
The Public Prosecution Service based its accusation on the defendant's criminal history for drug trafficking. The defence, represented by solicitor Clemente Cerdeira, centred its argument on the expert reports: according to Cerdeira, these analyses were inconclusive as they did not determine the percentage of clonazepam present in each tablet.
The solicitor argued that "the only way" to establish whether the substance was harmful to health and its degree of dangerousness would have been to apply that specific analysis. With that argument, he requested the acquittal of his client with all favourable findings. The court must now deliberate and issue its judgment.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)